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The Texas Roadhouse

January 14th, 2010

Texas Roadhouse in Tyler TX

The Texas Roadhouse

2101 Southeast Loop 323
Tyler
TX 75701
903 509 0053

Opening hours M-T 4pm-10pm
Friday 4-11pm
Sat and Sun 11am-11pm

If you’ve lived in Texas for long you will have tried the steaks at the Texas Roadhouse, in fact, you’re probably a regular customer. The Texas Roadhouse is known for it’s hand-cut steaks, cooked to your specifications and it’s delicious ribs – all priced very reasonably. The Tyler Roadhouse keeps up this reputation; in fact, it probably adds further credit to this chain of restaurants.

If you have visitors to Texas, an evening at the Texas Roadhouse is a must, part of the cultural experience. Our family from England LOVED it.

First, there is the whole shelling the peanuts and throwing them on the floor thing. Then there is the atmosphere –loud and fun, our waitresses even did a short line dance while waiting for the food to be ready for them to serve. And last but not least, there is the food. We tried a cactus blossom which sounded very Texan. It was! Deep fried, of course, it was a huge battered onion with a spicy dip. There was plenty to share. The salads were good, as was the baked potatoes ‘loaded’ literally with sour cream, bacon and spring onion shavings. We enjoyed our steaks – cutting into my fillet was like cutting butter – and the ribs were a hit too. One criticism – the fries were way too salty. Perhaps it is to encourage you to drink more ice cold beer or maybe a margarita. We did have to re-order fries for the children without seasoning.

There is more than enough food for every size of appetite – The Texas Roadhouse in Tyler must have to buy a lot of ‘take home’ boxes for it’s customers. I had the pleasure of eating steak two days in a row – the second time reheated in my microwave, but still very tasty! I can’t comment on the desserts – I have never been with anyone who has room to order one, but I know that they do have a selection of traditionally southern sweets.

One great thing about the Roadhouse is that it is family friendly. On Tuesdays children eat free and sometimes they have a visiting ‘Andy Armidillo’ or a balloon modeller. Consequently, the place is PACKED, so if you don’t have kids, Tuesday might be a night to avoid. It is certainly good for a family budget too as the food is great but inexpensive. You can make a further saving by eating between 4 and 6pm with their Early Dine menu.

On the downside – you cannot make reservations at this restaurant. ‘Call ahead seating’ is the best they will do and it often still involves quite a wait in the lobby before you are seated. I guess that’s just a symptom of it’s popularity. However, once inside, the service is speedy and the servers are efficient and friendly.

All in all I recommend an evening at the Texas Roadhouse and give it a thumbs up!

The Shed At Edom

January 12th, 2010

There is a restaurant in Edom TX about 18 minutes outside of Tyler called The Shed. It is a small town place with a flavor of mama’s kitchen. They have a varied menu that includes things like…roast beef, meatloaf, chicken fried steak and chicken tenders. The servings are large with a modest price on the pocketbook. They have some of the yummiest pies and cobblers if you want dessert. You won’t go away hungry if you decide to eat there. The waiters and waitresses are very attentive to what your needs are while you are eating.

The interesting thing is if you visit them on Tuesday evening they have a dozen or so musicians that play and sing country music and bluegrass. The musicians play guitars, fiddles, mandolin’s, and accordions while you eat your meal and you are welcome to sing with them or just listen. This is a place that you can take young children to and they will enjoy the entertainment and the food.

During the summer they occasionally have a car show in Edom and when we ate there we were lucky to be there while the car show was going on. After eating we walked around and looked at the cars, and walked off some of our eating.

After eating at The Shed you can walk through the hallway to their country store. There at the country store you can buy something for yourself or purchase a nice gift for someone. This is not a fancy place, but a very comfortable place to eat, enjoy music without hurting the pocket book.

Great Deli and Internet Connection

January 8th, 2010

McAlisters Deli

4325 Old Bullard Road
Tyler, TX 75703-1229
(903) 939-3300

If you need a good place to go to have a free wireless internet connection for your business meeting in Tyler Texas than try McAlisters Deli. They have good food like their delicous chili bowl or turkey sandwich and it is delivered fast. This deli also caters to businesses and events all the time. Next time you need to talk over some business while eating lunch it is hard to beat McAlisters in Tyler Texas.

I am not a big deli sandwich person but if I had to recommend one sandwich from McAlister’s it would be the berry Turkey sandwich. I think it goes by a slightly different name but you will be able to spot it on the menu. The chili bowl is still the best thing they have as they serve it in a home made bread bowl and the bread it is made with is some of the most delicious bread I have had. I think the bread bowl actually tastes better than most rolls I have been served at Tyler restaurants.

The chili that is served at the McAlisters in Tyler tastes homemade and not that disgusting stuff in a can. I have been to Tyler restaurants that when a customer orders chili they will break open a can of chili and heat it up in the microwave. I don’t know if anyone reading this has had chili in a can but it is very bad stuff and the meat tastes more like tofu or soggie bread than real chili. McAlister’s will not serve this type of food product and if you are a chili lover I think you are going to like my suggestion.
If chili is not your think McAlisters in Tyler also has a really good bacon chedder spud. This potato is the best on the menu and you can ask for sour cream and any additional toppings that you would like. Sometimes I will order the chili bowl and the bacon cheddar spud and eat them both.

Finally I would like to point out that they have the booths divided in a way to give each table privacy. McAlisters Deli in Tyler With the privacy and free wifi internet you will find McAlisters Tyler Texas to be a very good location for any type of meeting such as a business meeting or just a place to sit down and finish some homework while eating lunch. McAlisters is right next to Office Depot and the Tyler mall. If you would like to order catering you may speak with Diana Todd who is the manager over their catering side.

Cajun Food Returns To Tyler Texas

January 8th, 2010

Tyler has had a number of Cajun restaurants over the years. And while they served excellent food they didn’t last. But Tyler Texas should be fertile ground for an establishment of that nature. We certainly love restaurants. Cajun food and culture are not so far removed; in fact the Texas gulf coast often serves similar cuisine. So why is it that a town like ours, with all kinds of restaurants can’t seem to keep a good Louisiana kitchen open? Well, we have another opportunity with “Fat Catz.” Located at Southeast Crossing Center, 3320 Troup Highway in Tyler, Fat Catz serves authentic Cajun seafood.        

            While the seating is of course indoor, the openness of the place gives it a sort of Café Du Monde feel. The menu has all the favorites one would expect to find in a New Orleans restaurant just off the River Walk. There are gumbos, jambalayas, and Poboys, as well as hushpuppies, fried pickles, oysters, etc. There are also more local favorites like catfish.

            So the question remains, will Fat Catz survive in Tyler. I for one, hope so. It’s a unique departure from the usual Tex-Mex restaurants, (some of which I happen to love by the way), and the Chinese buffets. If variety is the spice of life, Fat Catz will stick around. But it remains to be seen how much spice Tylerites can handle.  See also http://www.fatcatzkitchen.com/ .

The Hidden Gate Tyler TX

January 4th, 2010

Tucked away in the middle of Tyler is the small antique shop and restaurant, Hidden Gate. Hidden Gate is known for its quiet atmosphere and homemade delicious food.

Two rooms packed full of antiques and beautiful tables. This would not be a problem for me, but when you have children it becomes pretty much impossible to enjoy yourself in a place like this. There are so many breakable items placed on the edge of shelves, and shelves so close to the tables, children can easily grab and break things.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus are available. Hidden gate also has catering for buffet entrees and “hors D’oeuvers”. Desserts are homemade and available. Try their pies, cobblers, cakes and cheesecakes.

Floral wreaths and floral arrangements are also for sale. Check out the website to see the beautiful arrangements on sale depending on the up coming holidays and events.

Enjoy an afternoon tea with your friends. When you come here the music is relaxing and soft so you can actually hear each other talk. There is a great selection of teas and desserts for those outings for your friends. Try the raspberry, peach, strawberry-lemon, or orange spice teas.

If you are hosting a party you can come to Hidden Gate’s Tyler Texas Restaurant and pick up a food tray. Party trays include, cheese trays, sandwich trays, fruit trays and relish trays and pies. Also if you are going on a picnic and don’t have time to pack a lunch, you can pick up a box lunch. You can choose between about five different sandwich and two different wraps. Also you can pick up a Breakfast box, with different homemade croissants sandwiches.

You can go gift shopping here. Hidden Gate sells all different home décor such as candles, platters, lamps, mirrors and so much more. Hidden Gate carries brand name items such as, Acscent Candles, Secret Garden, Time & Again, Crackling Wick, Lady Primrose, and Olio. You can also find jewelry, purses, scarves and much more. You can also use their helpful Lay-a-away plan to help you be able to pay for the perfect gift.

Enjoy a quiet stress free meal but be very careful not to break anything!